Networking on Social Media: Taking Inventory

Social media isn’t anything new with today’s students. Social platforms have connected us on levels unseen before. It is literally redefining communication and all students should take advantage of their social communities for professional networking.

As the Manager of Social Media for an (awesome) agency in Portsmouth, NH, I’ve seen the benefits of using social media as a networking tool. It’s easier than ever for students to build relationships early on with potential employers before ever submitting their resume.

The First Step is to Take Inventory

Over the life of this series, we will optimize your profiles on key social networks, position you as a thought leader in your field and build key professional relationships. Before we do anything though, we need to take inventory of your current social footprint. Here are two simple action items to take before my next post.

1. Identify your current networks

Make a list of all your public and private profiles. While you’re making this list go ahead and delete any unused/forgotten profiles. Oh, and make sure your profile image screams, “Hey, I’m a young professional,” not, “Hey, I’m a irresponsible tool.” (Just saying.) Here are few popular networks to get you started:

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

YouTube

Spotify

Instagram

Foursquare

Tumblr

There are two key reasons to identify ALL of these networks: A. Now a days almost all social networks talk to each other. It’s important to know where you’re presenting yourself. B. In my next post, we’ll talk about your social identity and how to unify all your current social networks.

2. Unplugged Action Item: Practice hand shakes and eye contact

We’re going to spend a lot of time working on building online relationships, but nothing you do online can take the place of face-to-face interactions. This unplugged action item is a key skill when bringing your online connection into the real world.

Positioning yourself as a strong candidate takes time and effort, but the rewards are great. Over the next few months we’ll cover the basics and more advanced techniques for positioning you as a rock star. Make sure to bookmark my author page to stay up to date with all my future posts. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments below.